🍀 Away Game -- Reidsville Luckies @ Hendersonville Honeycrisps 🍀
Luckies lose thriller to ONSL's league-leader in wins
The Reidsville Luckies came up short by just two runs to arguably the best team in the Old North State League, the Hendersonville Honeycrisps, ten runs to twelve. Hendersonville now has eight wins and one loss, and last year, they were the Western Division Champions, and the league runner-up. They also came in with the past two Old North State League Players of the Week, Brayden Corn and Cooper Gentry.
The Luckies put up a staggering five runs in the top of the very first inning. The Honeycrisps bounced back with three runs to round off the inning, giving the Luckies a two-run advantage.
The hot bats continued to light up the scoreboard. Entering the bottom of the third inning, it was six to four, but the Honeycrisps would soon go on an absolute tear. They punched in six runs, seizing the lead to go up four.
Reidsville wouldn’t let that demoralize them, and the Luckies would bring in three more runs. The Honeycrisps brought a run in during the fifth and seventh innings, and, heading into the top of the ninth, the Luckies were down, nine to twelve.
With a full count and two outs, Kristian Amaro delivered a clutch hit to right field, bringing in Gavin Gruppouso with an RBI double. TJ Highsmith came up to the plate with an opportunity to tie it, which wasn’t a far fetched belief based off of Triad Warriors Night.
Highsmith didn’t homer, but he got on base, along with Jacob Trivette. Ryne Rodrigues then came up to the plate, with the bases loaded, a two-run ball game, and two outs. Sadly, Rodrigues would pop it up for an easy catch, ending the game.
The Luckies now have two wins and five losses, and are currently fourth place in the Central Division.
Extra Bases: Does anyone else remember Josh Lanum’s monster game? It would be very difficult to forget for those who watched it. The Old North State League recognized his thirteen strikeouts in five innings, and announced on Twitter that he was the “Pitcher of the Week” for the league.
This is just the second week that the ONSL has published this, and the Luckies can already boast a Pitcher of the Week. I can see Reidsville’s players procuring more of these awards over the course of the season.
Notes: The Luckies put up a spectacular fight. I listed all of Hendersonville’s accolades above, and the Luckies almost took them down, demonstrating that they are certainly capable of doing so. The way that the current playoff format works, this game proved that if Reidsville can simply get to the postseason, they can win the title.
Upcoming: Tomorrow is a rest day, before heading back to Jaycee Park for a non-league game. They then face the Sandhills Bogeys and the High Point Hushpuppies, two divisional rivals that have crushed us recently, in away revenge games. Then, on Sunday, they head home for their first divisional bout with the Sanford Spinners. Finally, to cap off the five-game, five-day stretch, they head to Lancer Field to take on the Kinston Wingmen for the first time ever.